Experience with laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has practically become the current gold standard for the removal of symptomatic gallbladders with clear advantages. Its development has been slow in Sub-Saharan Africa. We reviewed our experience of this procedure at a tertiary facility in the subregion. Patients and Methods: All patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy from October 2014 to April 2018, at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, were retrospectively analyzed. The focus of the study was on patients' demographics, duration of symptoms, indications for surgery, procedure performed, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, and morbidityand mortality data. Results: A total of 33 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed. There were 27 (84.4%) females and 5(15.6%) males giving a male-to-female ratio of 5.4:1. The age range was from 9 to 78 years with a mean of 40.6 ± 2.9. The peak age of presentation was in the fourth decade. The most common indication was biliary colic. There was an instance of open re-exploration for a duodenal injury. There was no biliary injury during the procedures and no indication for common bile duct exploration. Most (18, 56.3%) of the patients were discharged within 24 h, 10 (30.3%) within 48 h, and the rest were discharged later. The relationship between the duration of hospital stay and the mean duration of surgery was significant (P = 0.014). There was no long-term morbidity or mortality. Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our environment is safe and feasible with results comparable to other centers.

Keywords

• cholecystectomy
• experience
• laparoscopy